10-7-11: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/season-review-short-season-catchers - Cam Maron earned the K-Mets Sterling Award as a 20-year old when he hit .318/.434/.413 in 58 games. Maron grew up in Huntington in a family of Mets fans, and called getting drafted by the team a “dream come true.” The Mets promoted Maron to Savannah for the final week of the regular season and then the Gnats’ playoff run. He only played in one game for the Gnats, and it was on the road, so I didn’t see it. In terms of offensive profile, Maron reminds me of Josh Thole-lite – with walks, contact and little power. At Kingsport, he drew 38 walks and fanned 34 times. In BP, he sprayed line drives gap-to-gap. The guess here is that Maron and Carillo will split time in Savannah to begin 2012. 10-10-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/132edccbf718965f - Top five Met prospects - Sunday, October 9, 2011 - The Record - 3. Wilmer Flores, SS, 20 (.269, nine homers, 81 RBI for St. Lucie): Not an eye-catching year in 2011, but his bat has drawn raves not only from scouts, but from the likes of Carlos Beltran, who said, "He does things I couldn’t at that age." No one sees him sticking as a shortstop. 10-16-11: - www.therecord.com - The comparisons for Reyes are tough to find because of his unique skill set – speed, defense and explosive offensive capabilities — which may help set a price tag. Some refer to Troy Tulowitzki, who without reaching the free agent market, got a 10-year, $157.75 million extension from Colorado. Derek Jeter recently completed a 10-year, $189 million deal he signed in 2001. And while he's a historic hitter, Alex Rodriguez got a 10-year, $252 million deal from Texas that same year. Perhaps the best comparison is a player who also is entering the free agent market – Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins. Rollins signed his last deal, a five-year, $40 million contract extension (really six for $48.5, because the Phillies picked up the option last year) coming off a season in which he finished 10th in the Most Valuable Player voting. The Mets acquired right-handed pitcher Cory Lidle from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Kelly Stinnett on January 17, 1996. At the time of the trade Lidle had yet to appear in the majors having spent five seasons in the minors for both the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers. He would spend his first season in the Mets organization pitching for the Binghamton Mets, their double A affiliate, where he posted a 14-10 record. He started the 1997 season with the Norfolk Tides before finally getting the call to the majors. Lidle made his major league debut for the Mets on May 8, 1997. He pitched two innings of scoreless relief in the Mets 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros. Three days later Lidle would earn his first victory against the St Louis Cardinals, he pitched a scoreless 8th inning striking out two. - http://www.newyorkmetshistoryonline.com/all-time-mets/cory-lidle-his-mets-career-1997 Jefry Marte was off to a slow start in the Arizona Fall League, but that could be starting to change. The Mets' No. 10 prospect slugged his first fall homer Saturday afternoon as the Peoria Javelinas held on for an 8-7 victory over the Scottsdale Scorpions. Serving as the Javelinas' designated hitter, Marte snapped an eighth-inning tie with a two-run blast -- his second extra-base hit in seven AFL games. Peoria hitting coach Alonzo Powell said it's only a matter of time before the 20-year-old gets back on track. - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111015&content_id=25669418&vkey=news_nym&c_id=nym
Francisco Rodriguez, Milwaukee Brewers -- After watching Jason Isringhausen show his age and Bobby Parnell show his unpreparedness for prime time, it's perfectly OK to admit that you miss K-Rod a little -- and not just because the Mets are paying $5.9 million for the privilege of seeing their former closer pitch for another team. Yes, Minaya overpaid him and yes that 2012 vesting option hung over Metsopotamia like a guillotine's blade. Let none of that blind you to the fact that he was one of the more effective Mets relievers in recent years. Maybe not $17.5 million good, but good enough. Then again, Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez was one of the linchpins that brought Johan Santana to Flushing. So it's a toss up, but there's no losers here. - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/9/30/2459916/a-mets-fans-guide-to-recognizing-your-saints-in-the-2011-mlb-playoffs 10-3-11: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/season-review-the-full-season-catchers - Coming into the year, Baseball America ranked Blake Forsythe as the 29th best prospect in the Mets system, the only catcher to make their Mets top 30. Forsythe earned the ranking because he flashed some power, and a strong throwing arm. Then he hit just .220/.295/.353 in 50 games in the first half of the SAL season. He was much better in the second half (and turned 22), both at the plate and in the field. At the plate, he drew nearly twice as many walks in the second half (36) as he did in the first half (20) while doubling his homer output from three to six while hitting .249/.368/.431. That’s the good news. The bad news? He still struck out 68 times in 55 games. For the year, he fanned in 28% of his at-bats. Behind the plate, Forsythe, to my eyes, became a better receiver, and more adept at blocking balls, especially those to his right. He threw out just 29% of opposing runners (20-for-68) this year, suggesting a need to improve his footwork and release. John Olerud (1999): This one hurts. Ole revitalized his career in New York after then-GM Joe McIlvaine stole him from Toronto for Robert Person. Ole hit .354 for the Mets in 1998 and was the first baseman for “the greatest infield ever” in 1999. He departed after that season for his hometown of Seattle where his offensive revitalization continued. He also logged time with Boston and the Yankees before retiring with a .398 career OBP. To replace him, the Mets signed Todd Ziele, who did an acceptable job at first for a few years before departing via trade to Milwaukee after the 2002 season. The Mets could have used Olerud’s bat in the Subway Series and in their failed defense of the NL title in 2001. - http://www.metstoday.com/7084/11-12-offseason/adios-jose-five-free-agents-who-left-the-mets 10-5-11: - www.newsday.com - When Cam Maron got his call-up to Citi Field last month, it wasn't to be a fill-in behind the plate for Josh Thole. That day may come eventually, but for now, Maron was happy to settle for the next best thing: the honor of receiving a Sterling Award as the Mets' top player at the Rookie League affiliate in Kingsport, Tenn. Maron, a Hicksville High graduate and Newsday first-team All-Long Island catcher, was among 10 organizational MVPs honored on Sept. 14, a group that also included 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey. But only Maron is a truly homegrown prospect, one that spent his childhood going to games at Shea Stadium and idolizing Mike Piazza, so that took the experience to another level. "There were a lot of emotions running at a function like that, an awards ceremony of that magnitude," Maron said by phone from Fort Myers, Fla., where he is playing in the instructional league. "I think growing up watching the Mets really kind of added more to it. "I didn't come to Citi Field as a kid obviously -- it was to Shea. But coming to Queens and being in that area again, it was kind of like, now I'm there. I'm starting to get there. I'm not that fan anymore, that kid. It was just an honor to be named in that class, among those guys." Detroit Tigers farmhand Timo Perez, who helped the Mets reach the World Series back in 2000, was among four minor league players who were suspended by the commissioner's office Tuesday for violating the league's drug policies. Perez got a 50-game suspension for testing positive for Ritalinic Acid and Methylphenidate. Both drugs are used to treat attention deficit disorder. Perez has more than 600 big league games under his belt but has been in the minors since 2007; the 36-year-old hit .304/.344/.410 at Triple-A Toledo this season. - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/10/timo-perez-among-four-minor-leaguers-suspended
9-1-11: - Stock Up – RP – Josh Stinson – the Mets promoted RP Josh Stinson from Binghamton to the new York Mets today.Stinosn had a bad season as a Buffalo starter, took a step back and has produced stats of 4-3, 3.99, in 27 outings for Binghamton. We all know how bad the Mets bullpen has faired this year. What the fuck?
9-1-11: - Stock Up: - IF Josh Satin – Satin was promoted to the Mets for the month of September. I don’t expect Josh to get many reps because TC is already on the record about playing Nick Evans at 1B and Ruben Tejada at second. That’s okay. He deserves the cup of coffee.
9-1-11: - Stock Up – C Cam Maron – Maron was promoted on Thursday to Savannah for the playoff series. Savannah las lost a bunch of its bats this year to St. Lucie and Maron will do a lot better behind the plate thatn the other options the Sand Gnats have.
9-1-11: - Stock Up – SS Juan Gamboa – Gamboa was promoted on Thursday to Savannah for the playoff series. Gamboa has had very little press so far as a Met, but he’s holidng his own and turning heads at the lower levels.
9-11-11: - Stock Up – OF Dustin Lawley – Lawley was promoted on Thursday to Savannah for the playoff series. Lawley has already proved he can produce at the lower levels and his bat is much welcomed for the Sand Gnats playoffs.
